Business Portfolio

Madcatz Branding Evaluation Project (2011)

In this project, I was asked to choose a product brand and examine the ways a company went about modifying the perceptions of their brand in the eyes of the consumer. I chose to use Mad Catz gaming peripherals and demonstrated how they used secondary sources to change the perceptions of their brand image.

Class: New Product Development and Branding; Grade Received: A

Madcatz Branding Exhibit

Secondary Associations Bring New Brand Equity to Mad Catz

In 2001, Mad Catz was a gaming brand known for producing cheap and low quality gaming peripherals products such as controllers or memory cards that were notorious for breaking often (see pre mental map). After striking a deal with game developer Capcom to make new Arcade Sticks for the upcoming Street Fighter IV console fighting game in 2008, Mad Catz used strong secondary associations and focus on quality to create new PODs and brand equity to reposition Mad Catz as a quality maker of game peripherals.

Mad Catz worked directly with Capcom for suggestions on creating the new Mad Catz Tournament Edition (TE) joystick. This lead the TE sticks to use Sanwa parts found in the classic arcade cabinets, known in the fighting game community for smooth responses to inputs. This increased their equity by showing that Mad Catz was committed to quality, performance and nostalgia from the arcade scene (see CBBE model).

Another source of new equity came from endorsement deals. The sponsored Team Mad Catz featured top players such as Daigo Umehara that use Mad Catz products in tournaments. These endorsements created strong associations with TE sticks to high level play (see post mental map). Furthermore, Mad Catz reached out to other well know players that document the fighting game scene and give coupon codes out for endorsing their new sticks, leading to a competitive advantage in price.

Overall Mad Catz line extension into the arcade stick peripherals was very successful. Thanks to strong repositioning by using secondary associations and establishment of new equity, Mad Catz fightsticks are the market leader seen at all major tournaments and sold online.

Disney Interactive Media Group Case Analysis and Presentation (2011)

Chose DIMG as a company to propose an overall strategic management direction by applying knowledge of business practicum. Took lead role on team as main provider of current trends, information, and sources in the video game industry. My primary section was identifying and modifying Porter’s Five Forces as well as other contributions throughout the paper.

Pitched mock business proposal to several former Electronic Arts executives. Project centered around creating an E-Sports News Network that serves as the hub for spectators news from different competitive video game communities.